State NFL roundup: Steelers win again with Devlin Hodges at QB

Rookie quarterback Devlin Hodges made his second NFL start on Sunday and, for the second time, helped the Pittsburgh Steelers earn a victory.

After coming off the bench in the second half to spark the Steelers to a victory over the Cincinnati Bengals last week, Hodges started in place of Mason Rudolph in Pittsburgh’s 20-13 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.

A former Mortimer Jordan High School star, Hodges set the NCAA FCS record for career passing yards while at Samford, but he went undrafted in April.

Hodges completed 14-of-21 passes for 212 yards with one touchdown and one interception against the Browns.

“He didn’t kill us,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said at his postgame press conference, repeating what he’s said he likes most about Hodges at quarterback, then broke into a broad smile and a little laugh.

"… I thought he played his tail off. Without overanalyzing it, just a general synopsis, I thought he played his tail off."

“It takes a splash play to kind of create that rhythm, if you will,” Tomlin said. “And not only for the offense. I thought that play meant something for the defense. When you’re on the sideline supporting your teammates and you see that they’re capable of moving the ball, that inspires you. I thought it uplifted all of us.”

Hodges had made his first NFL start on Oct. 13 in the Steelers’ 24-17 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. He was in the lineup after Rudolph suffered a concussion the previous week against the Baltimore Ravens. Hodges made his NFL debut in that game, which Pittsburgh lost 26-23 in overtime.

· Titans fullback Khari Blasingame (Buckhorn) made a tackle on special teams.

· Ben Jones (Bibb County) started at center for the Titans.

· Colts safety Rolan Milligan (UAB) made a tackle on special teams.

· Colts wide receiver Chester Rogers (Lee-Huntsville) played but did not record any stats before leaving with a knee injury.

Cincinnati Bengals 22, New York Jets 6

· Steve McLendon (Carroll-Ozark, Troy) started at nose tackle for the Jets. McLendon made three tackles, including a sack.

· Bengals wide receiver Damion Willis (Troy) played but did not record any stats.

Washington Redskins 29, Carolina Panthers 21

· Mario Addison (Tarrant, Troy) started at outside linebacker for the Panthers. Addison made a career-high seven tackles, registered 1.5 sacks and recorded three quarterback hits. Addison has 9.5 sacks in 2019.

· James Bradberry (Pleasant Grove, Samford) started at cornerback for the Panthers. Bradberry made three tackles.

· Jaquiski Tartt (Davidson, Samford) started at strong safety for the 49ers. Tartt made three tackles before leaving the game with a rib injury.

· Jimmie Ward (Davidson) started at free safety for the 49ers. Ward made six tackles, including one behind the line of scrimmage, and broke up a pass.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 28, Jacksonville Jaguars 11

· Jaguars defensive end Josh Allen (Abbeville) made three tackles, recorded one sack and registered two quarterback hits. Allen has nine sacks in 2019, the most for a rookie in franchise history. Allen left the game to be evaluated for a concussion, but he was cleared.

· Buccaneers defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches (Central-Phenix City) played but did not record any stats.

· Buccaneers safety Darian Stewart (Lee-Huntsville) played but did not record any stats.

· Quincy Williams (Wenonah) started at weakside linebacker for the Jaguars. Williams made three tackles.

· Jameis Winston (Hueytown) started at quarterback for the Buccaneers. Winston completed 21-of-33 passes for 268 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. Winston entered the game with 22 TD passes and 20 interceptions in 2019. He had thrown for a touchdown in 13 consecutive games.

· Browns linebacker Tae Davis (Oxford) played but did not record any stats.

· Chris Hubbard (UAB) started at right offensive tackle for the Browns.

Green Bay Packers 31, New York Giants 13

· Giants wide receiver Cody Core (Auburn High) played but did not record any stats.

· Janoris Jenkins (North Alabama) started at right cornerback for the Giants. Jenkins made one tackle and broke up one pass.

· Packers cornerback Tremon Smith (Saks) returned three kickoffs for 72 yards, including a 33-yarder, and one punt for 3 yards.

· Za'Darius Smith (Greenville) started at outside linebacker for the Packers. Smith made four tackles, including one behind the line of scrimmage, and registered five quarterback hits.

Miami Dolphins 37, Philadelphia Eagles 31

· Shaq Calhoun (Restoration Academy) started at right guard for the Dolphins.

· Eagles running back Jordan Howard (Gardendale, UAB) was designated as inactive. A shoulder injury sidelined Howard for the second game in a row.

· Dolphins linebacker Deon Lacey (Hueytown, West Alabama) played but did not record any stats.

· Eagles defensive tackle Anthony Rush (UAB) made two tackles, including one behind the line of scrimmage, and broke up a pass.

Los Angeles Rams 34, Arizona Cardinals 7

· Rams offensive lineman Chandler Brewer (Florence) played but did not record any stats.

· Rams tight end Gerald Everett (UAB/South Alabama) was designated as inactive. Everett did not practice last week because of a knee injury.

· Rams cornerback Darious Williams (UAB) was designated as inactive. Williams did not practice last week because of an ankle injury.

Denver Broncos 23, Los Angeles Chargers 20

· Broncos outside linebacker Ahmad Gooden (Talladega, Samford), playing in his second NFL game, made his first NFL tackle.

· Chargers punter Ty Long (UAB) averaged 45.3 yards on four punts, with a long of 57.

· Chargers running back Troymaine Pope (Anniston, Jacksonville State) fielded four punts with one return for zero yards and three fair catches.

· Malik Reed (Dothan) started at strongside linebacker for the Broncos. Reed made two tackles.

· Philip Rivers (Athens) started at quarterback for the Chargers for the 220th consecutive game. Rivers completed 20-of-29 passes for 265 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Rivers threw a 30-yard touchdown pass with 30 seconds left in the second quarter as the Chargers trailed 17-10 at halftime and a 36-yard pass with 12:18 left in the fourth quarter as Los Angeles tied the game at 17-17.

· Chargers offensive tackle Trent Scott (Lee-Huntsville) played but did not record any stats.

Kansas City Chiefs 40, Oakland Raiders 9

· Tyreek Hill (West Alabama) started at wide receiver for the Chiefs. Hill caught five passes for 55 yards.

· Rodney Hudson (B.C. Rain) started at center for the Raiders.

· Nicholas Morrow (Huntsville) started at weakside linebacker for the Raiders. Morrow made a team-leading five tackles and registered a quarterback hit.

The 13th week of the season started with three games on Thanksgiving. The Chicago Bears defeated the Detroit Lions 24-20, the Buffalo Bills defeated the Dallas Cowboys 26-15 and the New Orleans Saints defeated the Atlanta Falcons 26-18.

The 13th week of the NFL's 2019 season concludes on Monday when the Minnesota Vikings visit the Seattle Seahawks at 7:15 p.m. CDT. ESPN will televise the game.